Exercise chair

ABSTRACT

An exercise chair includes a seat assembly, a backrest, a movable supporting member, a position-limiting device, and a resilient position-restoring element. The backrest is pivotally connected to a pivotal connection portion of the seat assembly. The movable supporting member includes a roller for contact with the ground and is pivotally connected to the backside of the backrest. When the tilted state of the backrest is changed, the movable supporting member changes the position at which the ground is in contact with the roller, lest the exercise chair tip over backward. The position-limiting device is connected between the pivotal connection portion and the movable supporting member to adjust and limit the aforesaid contact position. Should the position-limiting device fail, a second position-limiting device provided on the backrest can prevent the exercise chair from falling backward. The resilient position-restoring element helps restore the exercise chair to its most compact configuration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an exercise chair and more particularly to an exercise chair on which a user can do sit-ups or back extension exercises in a seated position.

2. Description of Related Art

Exercise equipment for sit-ups or back extension usually takes up a lot of space because it requires a supporting structure extending rearward to prevent it from tipping over during use, the main reason being that one who is doing sit-ups or an extension exercise will move the center of gravity of their body rearward to a great extent.

Such exercise equipment, therefore, calls for a large storage space. If placed in a user's living environment when not in use, it will occupy a certain amount of the user's living space. Moreover, the bulkiness of such exercise equipment causes difficulty in storage, and it is equally inconvenient to move such equipment from where it is stored to an open area where it can be used. All of the above leads to a low usage rate of such equipment.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an exercise chair that serves as both exercise equipment and a normal chair to sit on, and that does not occupy too much space when used as a normal chair and is kept from tipping over when used as exercise equipment. To achieve the foregoing objective, the exercise chair of the invention includes a seat assembly, a backrest, a movable supporting member, and a position-limiting device. The seat assembly is provided with a pivotal connection portion.

The backrest is pivotally connected to the pivotal connection portion and can therefore be rotated with respect to the seat assembly to change the tilted state of the backrest. The movable supporting member includes at least one roller at one end, and the at least one roller is configured for contact with the ground. The opposite end of the movable supporting member is pivotally connected to the backside of the backrest. When the tilted state of the backrest is changed, the movable supporting member changes the position at which the ground is in contact with the at least one roller. The position-limiting device is connected between the pivotal connection portion and the movable supporting member so as to adjust and limit the position at which the ground is in contact with the at least one roller of the movable supporting member, and to adjust and limit the tilt angle of the backrest. Should the position-limiting device get loose, fall off, or break, a second position-limiting device, which is provided on a second extension portion of the backrest, can prevent the exercise chair from tipping over backward.

In one embodiment, the exercise chair further includes at least one resilient position-restoring element connected between the backrest and the seat assembly in order to keep the backrest at a predetermined tilt angle with respect to the seat assembly when no external force is applied to the backrest.

In one embodiment, the backrest is provided with a plurality of rotatable foam elements.

In one embodiment, the backrest has a convex front side.

In one embodiment, the exercise chair further includes a headrest connected to the backrest.

In one embodiment, the seat assembly is provided with an armrest on each of two lateral sides.

In contrast to the prior art, the exercise chair of the present invention can be used as a normal chair and does not occupy too much space when so used. Moreover, the backrest of the exercise chair can be rotated with respect to the seat assembly so that the tilted state of the backrest is changed to allow the exercise chair to be used as exercise equipment, e.g., for sit-ups or extension exercises. When the exercise chair is used as exercise equipment, the movable supporting member applies a supporting force to the backside of the backrest, and the position-limiting device serves to adjust and limit the tilt angle of the backrest as well as the position at which the ground is in contact with the at least one roller of the movable supporting member. Should this position-limiting device get loose, fall off, or break, the second position-limiting device on the second extension portion of the backrest can prevent the exercise chair from tipping over backward, thus making the exercise chair of the invention safer to use than its prior art counterparts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment in FIG. 1 from another viewing angle;

FIG. 3 shows a state in which no external force is applied to the backrest of the preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 4 shows a state in which an external force is applied to, and thereby tilts, the backrest of the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , the exercise chair 1 includes a seat assembly 10, a backrest 20, a movable supporting member 30, at least one position-limiting device 40, at least one resilient position-restoring element 50, and a headrest 60.

The seat assembly 10 includes such major structures as a front supporting member 11, a seat 12, armrests 13, and a pivotal connection portion 14. The seat 12 is provided on the front supporting member 11 so that a user can sit on the seat 12 in a normal seated position. The backrest 20 has a convex front side and is provided with a plurality of rotatable foam elements 21. When a user leans their back on the backrest 20, the user's back will be in contact with the rotatable foam elements 21. The armrests 13 are provided on two lateral sides of the seat assembly 10 respectively to support a user's arms or to be held by a user's hands respectively.

The backrest 20 includes a first extension portion 22. The first extension portion 22 extends rearward from the backside of the backrest 20. The first extension portion 22 is pivotally connected to the pivotal connection portion 14.

The movable supporting member 30 includes at least one roller 31 at one end. The at least one roller 31 is configured for contact with the ground 70. In this embodiment, two rollers 31 are used and are arranged in a side-by-side configuration.

The backrest 20 further includes a second extension portion 23 on the backside. The other end of the movable supporting member 30 is pivotally connected to the second extension portion 23 so that the movable supporting member 30 can change the position at which the ground 70 is in contact with the rollers 31 when the tilted state of the backrest 20 is changed. The second extension portion 23 is provided with a second position-limiting device for preventing the exercise chair 1 from tipping over backward should the position-limiting device 40 get loose, fall off, or break.

The position-limiting device 40 is connected between the pivotal connection portion 14 and the movable supporting member 30. The position-limiting device 40 in this embodiment is a metal chain. The metal chain is coupled to the pivotal connection portion 14 at one end and is coupled to the movable supporting member 30 at the other end. The position-limiting device 40 may also be coupled to the supporting member 30 via a connecting rod, an electrical cable, or other articles having a similar effect.

The resilient position-restoring element 50 is provided between the backrest 20 and the seat assembly 10 so as to keep the backrest 20 at a predetermined tilt angle with respect to the seat assembly 10 when no external force is applied to the backrest 20. The headrest 60 is connected to the backrest 20 to support a user's head. The headrest 60 shown in the drawings is pivotally connected to the backrest 20. In practice, however, a height adjustment mechanism (not shown) may be provided between the headrest 60 and the backrest 20 to allow the headrest 60 to be adjusted to an appropriate height.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the first extension portion 22 is pivotally connected to the pivotal connection portion 14 so that the backrest 20 can be rotated with respect to the seat assembly 10 to not only change the tilted state of the backrest 20, but also allow the rollers 31 at one end of the movable supporting member 30 to roll rearward along the ground 70 while the movable supporting member 30 applies a supporting force to the backside of the backrest 20 to prevent the seat assembly 10 from tipping over backward. In addition, the position-limiting device 40 connected between the pivotal connection portion 14 and the movable supporting member 30 can adjust and limit the position at which the ground 70 is in contact with the rollers 31, thereby adjusting and limiting the tilt angle of the backrest 20 in an indirect manner. The position-limiting device 40 may be implemented in a different way from that described above. For example, the position-limiting device 40 may be implemented instead by a connecting rod, an electrical cable, or other articles having a similar effect.

According to the foregoing, the exercise chair 1 can be used not only as a normal chair, but also as exercise equipment. When the exercise chair 1 is used as a normal chair, the resilient position-restoring element 50 can keep the backrest 20 at a predetermined tilt angle with respect to the seat assembly 10, with the movable supporting member 30 and the rollers 31 being relatively close to the seat assembly 10 as shown in FIG. 3 , lest too much space be occupied. When the exercise chair 1 is used as exercise equipment, the user may apply a force to the backrest 20 through the user's back in order to tilt the backrest 20 rearward and thereby allow the user to do sit-ups or a back extension exercise in a seated position. The movable supporting member 30 and the rollers 31 in this state are relatively far from the seat assembly 10 as shown in FIG. 4 , and can therefore prevent the exercise chair 1 from tipping over backward when the centers of gravity of the user's body and of the backrest 20 are moved rearward.

The embodiment described above is only a preferred one of the present invention and is not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the invention. Any simple substitution or equivalent change that is made according to the appended claims and the contents of this specification shall fall within the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An exercise chair, comprising: a seat assembly provided with a pivotal connection portion; a backrest pivotally connected to the pivotal connection portion and hence rotatable with respect to the seat assembly to change a tilted state of the backrest; a movable supporting member having an end provided with at least one roller, the at least one roller being configured for contact with a ground, the movable supporting member having an opposite end pivotally connected to a backside of the backrest so that when the tilted state of the backrest is changed, the movable supporting member changes a position at which the ground is in contact with the at least one roller; a position-limiting device connected between the pivotal connection portion and the movable supporting member to adjust and limit the position at which the ground is in contact with the at least one roller of the movable supporting member, and to adjust and limit a tilt angle of the backrest; and a second position-limiting device provided on a second extension portion of the backrest to prevent the at least one roller of the movable supporting member from moving rearward excessively should the position-limiting device get loose, fall off, or break, lest the exercise chair tip over backward.
 2. The exercise chair of claim 1, further comprising at least one resilient position-restoring element, wherein the at least one resilient position-restoring element is connected between the backrest and the seat assembly in order to keep the backrest at a predetermined said tilt angle with respect to the seat assembly when no external force is applied to the backrest.
 3. The exercise chair of claim 1, wherein the backrest is provided with a plurality of rotatable foam elements.
 4. The exercise chair of claim 1, wherein the backrest has a convex front side.
 5. The exercise chair of claim 1, further comprising a headrest connected to the backrest.
 6. The exercise chair of claim 1, wherein the seat assembly has two lateral sides each provided with an armrest. 